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WorkersCompDecodedIndependent guide · New York edition

Reviewed against NYS WCB primary sources · Last reviewed August 2026

For employers

New York workers' comp: the employer's guide

Every New York employer with employees must carry workers' compensation. Here's what you're required to do, how to get covered, what it costs, and what happens if you don't — sourced to the Workers' Compensation Board.

Your obligations

Coverage requirements

Who must carry insurance, who's covered, penalties.

Cost of coverage

What workers' comp costs NY employers and how to lower it.

Comp vs DB vs PFL

How workers' comp compares to NY Disability Benefits and Paid Family Leave.

If something goes wrong

Caught without coverage

Penalties for not carrying workers' comp in NY — and what to do if caught.

Reference

District offices

Where the Workers' Compensation Board's offices are and who they serve.

Plain-English definitions of the workers'-comp terms and acronyms.